faderift | Let No Soul Hunger For Justice: And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going

They'd figured something would go wrong. It's pretty much a given, considering. Demons were also pretty much a given due to how similar the fifth attempt is to the fourth. In fact, the crackling of the barrier and runes once they're engaged aren't that much of a surprise, just a disappointment.

The first thing that might be a surprise comes with the barrier stops crackling, starts glowing, and Anders yells. The second is a flash, bathing the whole area in Fade-green and electric blue. And while it's very possible that most of the scattered demons that pop up - wraiths, gibbering horrors, and lesser shades - are not a surprise, there's one more form that stands in the heart of the Circle, over Anders' prone form, raising a barrier over itself as it howls in anger.

Vengeance is furious, and the blue wall of flames that rise up in front of it are fueled by that rage. The other demons close in, sensing that they're about to have a feast.

Edited 2016-06-19 09:33 (UTC)

"Quickly!" Demons. They should all be ready - they must be.

"As darkness closes," she murmurs, raising her bow with no hesitation and loosing an arrow at Vengeance, seeking to distract its attention from Anders if necessary, "I am shielded by flame."

She has a second arrow ready almost immediately.

Nathaniel stands by Leliana, bow strung, arrow in hand, and his jaw drops.

"What is that?" he asks in dismay. But he thinks he might know. Though he has never seen its like, for that very reason it must be a Vengeance demon. Gone is the shining armor Justice created for himself in the Fade on their first meeting. This is a thing twisted so beyond recognition that Anders could not possibly have held it inside and missed that it was no longer Justice.

Well. Justice was an asshole anyway. He is separated from Anders now, and all that is left is to kill him. The complicated things can come later.

Nathaniel looses an arrow at Vengeance's eye.

Andraste, guide me.

Her second arrow flies, aiming for the creature's throat. "An adversary."

Not obnoxiously; simply. An adversary, one for them to fell quickly, one that will endanger their people here. One they will act against swiftly. His dismay can be overcome.

An adversary. Demons are pretty much expected at this point of course, but even he can tell that the thing that is Justice is far worse than any of the others. Kain knows that's got to be his first target.

He gets a ring of pain going in the area, then leaps skyward, far above the battlefield, to come soaring down with his lance aiming straight for Justice. It's risky to try a dragoon jump on him, of course, Kain figures it'll be well worth it.

Bethany closed her eyes and then focused on the group of them. A barrier shifted upwards, and around them, infused with spiritual energy, so they were protected. Then she shifted back so she could take on a sweep of Cone of Ice.

She looked around, taking in the field. Oh, this was going to be ugly.

"No."

It didn't have to be like this. It shouldn't have been. But it is.

The lesser demons are advancing. Take care of them first, before they can hurt too many of the others. Cole draws his daggers, racing to position himself behind one of the shades. The blades bite into its back.

Well-

Anders is not dead.

The rest of them are also not dead.

Yet.

Several bookies will be pleased and mournful so long as they do not find themselves killed in short order. Adelaide swears violently under her breath, shifting her focus to the shades, and horrors. Bethany had them shielded- she could focus on the attack. Slamming the butt of her staff against the ground- shards of ice spread and spider out, frost running in fractal sheets along stone and grass, erupting upward in spikes about the horrors.

It definitely shouldn't have been like this. In a perfect world, Justice would have gone willingly and Anders' anger wouldn't have corrupted what was already a very stubborn and determined spirit. Instead, there are demons.

Vengeance looks at those attacking him as the arrows strike, and barely staggers at the lance. There are wounds, certainly, but they're small and it is fueled by something that pain cannot touch. One of the three arrows, the first one since it's the most shallowly buried, gets yanked out and tossed vaguely in Kain's direction. Kain is not Vengeance's focus just yet, even with a lance in Justice. That too gets yanked out, pushed back. There are a few ways to get satisfaction on this field, and one of them is right in front of him. A fireball streaks across the field to mostly dissolve against the barrier around Nate and Vengance snarls.

Meanwhile, ice is spreading across the field, spikes and spray, and the flame wall sputters and steams. The bunches of lesser demons slip and slow. One, a shade, doesn't stand a chance as two daggers come from behind. It fades out, leaving ash and allies behind.

But ice cannot stop the attacks. A wraith strikes Cole with a projectile, one that's greatly weakened by the barrier. A gibbering horror closes in on Nathaniel and bites, something that's almost completely blocked, while a lesser shade attacks Bethany with a weakened Weakness spell.

This is- horrible. It's close to what she expected; spirits and demons are the same, to the Dalish; they think differently, act differently, and while Merrill has never thought them intrinsically bad for that, they are always dangerous. And Justice- well, she has seen too much to trust Justice. There is no room for grey areas with spirits, and that is why they're dangerous. It's certainly part of why Justice hates her.

"Get him out of there!" It's cried out as Merrill swings her staff, casting Sleep on the advancing demons. There's a field of demons between her and Anders, between her and Vengeance. He's vulnerable there, more vulnerable now in the Fade without Justice, and a misstep could have sent Kain's lance for Vengance into Anders' skull.

There is fire and there is ice and weapons and spells flying while Anders lay dormant. Leliana does not grimace, though she grits her teeth for a moment-- it is not as though fire is a favoured element of hers. She's not sure what would be, truthfully, but it certainly isn't fire.

Taking a breath she starts to sing, low and quiet at first, but gathering strength as she goes, the song of courage. Merrill is right - and this will be for nothing if Anders does not live.

She looses an arrow at one of the demons, and tries to pick a path over to Anders. Around flame? Through flames? At the very least Vengeance's attention seems elsewhere, by her estimation, even if she has to try and navigate around a mess of fire and demons. This is bound to go well.

Grabbing for the lance so he can leap aside, the tossed arrow fortunately just strikes across armor this time- but he knows it could have been a lot worse if it were purposeful. He jumps back into a spot close to his original starting position, getting a sense of what's going on before his next move.

Of course, Merrill's reminder about Anders' condition doesn't escape his attention. He glances over and figures he might make it close with a jump, though the fire makes it tricky. But then there are demons in his path, blocking him. He slashes and stabs wildly at what's nearest, moving like a fierce whirlwind.

Cole feels the Wraith's attack disperse across the barrier, as if someone gave him a hard shove. He shrugs it off. So long as the barrier holds, he can focus his efforts on the protection of his companions.

The gibbering horror attacking Nathaniel is his next target. Cole darts across the field, dancing over veins of ice, to slash at the demon's flank.

Nathaniel holds his hand out to stop Leliana.

"Stay here and cover me. I can carry him." Nathaniel is big and tall. Anders is not. Leliana is not. He can move Anders quickly. He hunches down and starts sprinting for Anders' prone body. He can't think about the condition Anders could be in. He has to assume he is alive and will recover.

He arrives at Anders' side and kneels beside him, putting weapons away and scooping him up in his arms. He makes a blind dash for the perimeter, away from the demons.

"By Andraste's Grace you shall fall."

It is not merely a declaration, there is the power of the Holy Chant behind it (because Templars are Buff kings against Demons). It had worked it had worked, and now the only true evidence of this miracle was the prone form of the mage at their feel. If it were her last act, Maria was going to ensure he was pulled to safety.

She leaves the Wardens and Nightingale to guide him out of the room, charging it with sword flashing to provide as much cover as she can instead. The lesser demons first, they had the greater chance of slipping by unnoticed, diving in to assist Bethany before turning her attention to crossing the ice.

A song starts, filling the clearing with amazing clarity and strength, inspiring all allies who hear it. It bolsters Merrill's sleep spell, knocking out four of the five wraiths and four of the seven horrors, stopping them where they stand. It means an arrow fired somewhat offhand hits its target, another horror, that Kain's whirlwind of blades ends the life of that horror as well as eliminating a shade. Cole's dagger finishes a second horror, and the flash of Maria's blade injures two shades.

The minor demons don't take their losses lying down, though. The last conscious wraith fires a weakened projectile at Leliana from the side, striking her as it moves toward her, while a gibbering horror doesn't take kindly the deaths of its fellows and sends a weakened stun at Kain. Merrill's shouting draws more than one set of eyes, but it's the lesser shade that sends something first - a weakness spell that's the strongest demon attack yet.

Vengeance is looking at her as well. It's fully aware of what Nate is doing, but it has time. The archer cannot get far.

"A pity you did not show so much concern for your Keeper or clan." Its voice is rough, growly, words a little slurred due to a new mouth shape. "They will have their revenge today." It slams the ground in her direction before taking a step back... and teleporting to Nate's position.

"And I will have mine. Where do you think you can go, where vengeance will not find you? Is he heavier than the burden of guilt you should bear? You suggested I join with a living person. When they came to murder him, you were not there. I was. He would be dead if not for me, and now you seek my death. I will not be the sacrifice for your betrayal."

Bethany felt the weakness spell hit her - but it felt more like a ...really annoying tickle than something that was going to slow her down. She lifted her hand and blasted it with an Inferno's blast.

Merrill's cry pulled her attention across the room, where her friend was holding off demons with her staff. Her gaze narrowed as she flicked her eyes from Merrill, and where Nate and Leliana were trying to get Anders out of here.

Just as Vengeance appeared before Nathaniel and something went cold and very, very angry inside of her. Oh no you don't.

She swung her staff back, and pulled in her Force Spell to slam Vengeance with the Maker's Fury, yelling at Vengeance, "And he will not be the tool for your madness, spirit!"

Yes, she's trying to pull his attention away. She just hopes it works.

Following Nathaniel's lead, Leliana keeps her bow steady and her mind focused, sharp. She is about to loose another arrow when the projectile hits her, cutting short her song and knocking the breath from her lungs.

She is to cover Nathaniel, but she can't do that under fire, aiming for the demon that hit her once, twice, before refocusing on Nathaniel's predicament.

The eye seems an appropriate target. She takes aim, and another arrow flies.

If you gave instead of taking, I would consider you no demon.

Vengeance's blow rings in him as he shrinks away from it, clutching Anders. So much damage he did unknowing, but Vengeance is right. On most of it, at least. This was in large part Nathaniel's fault, for making Justice open to the idea. But it was Justice's--Vengeance's--idea to stay. Against Anders' will, against their original agreement surely, against every moral Nathaniel had established to him.

Then Bethany's voice rings out like a splash of cold water. Nathaniel moves, stumbling at a right angle to Vengeance, hoisting Anders in his arms to gain a better grip. Strong he may be, but he cannot cradle a grown man indefinitely. Away from Vengeance may not be plausible, but he can at least get him out of the line of fire of the other demons.

"Don't listen!"

Another cry, but this one has more strength in it. It's defiance this time, not fear, that makes her shout.

"Vengeance and Justice only know black and white, and we're all more than that!"

She had tried to help her Keeper, her clan. It was Marethari's choice to become possessed, as it was her clan's choice to attack them instead of listen. Killing them was an act of self defense, one that Merrill always regrets, and she refuses to let this thing use it against her.

Wrath of the Elvhen is well-named, in this case; Merrill casts and the land rises up, striking at every demon in reach. Weakening all of them at once should help those who can't strike more than one at a time.

"He's a demon and he's still a sanctimonious prick." Some things did not change from one form to the other- or perhaps Justice had always been a little more demonic than anyone cared to admit. As fascinating as the study might be- now is not the time. Adelaide takes the moment presented to double down on Bethany's earlier barrier, wrapping everyone in a shield of glimmering, translucent blue with one hand while frost gathers at the tips of the other, warping power and will to tangle among the roots and earth thrown by Merrill's spell and add shards of ice into the mix.

Later she might think to name the combination of spells.

If she survives.

If Merrill survives.

It is a distant mental note that she makes, focusing instead on sending a second pulse of cold and frost along the spikes to cause them to grow, to impale, to pierce.

Fire lights up the field in a flash, taking the targeted lesser shade with it. The force spell isn't as effective, however, as Vengeance's barrier lights up and absorbs nearly all of it. Its gaze rakes over Bethany... and dismisses her. What is there to say? She has been a part of this, but a lesser part. She committed no sins in Kirkwall; there is nothing to judge. As he's eyeing Bethany, Leliana's arrows eliminate another Wrath demon. The smaller demons are dying, but that is what they are here for. To soften and weaken and give him the satisfaction of making matters final. Leliana's last arrow does catch his attention, though. It sinks in and Vengeance snarls and snaps the shaft.

"My kind does not feel pain the way yours do," it hisses. "If you feel pain at all. What stains your hands, Hand? How many died needlessly for the sake of your Chantry and the sake of your Divine? Vengeance shall be mine and it shall be theirs." It sends a slam against her, seeking to knock her down and give her time to let guilt or anger rise up. Either will do. Both will do.

The ground glows green around them and many of the lesser demons start to sag, weakening, suffering. Vengeance glares at Merrill, but the glare turns to Adelaide when spikes begin to shoot out, eliminating the rest of the lesser demons. It is alone now... but the lesser demons are not the only ones hurt. Despite the faint glow of a barrier forming around the party, spikes also stab brutally into Bethany and Leliana. Vengeance takes advantage of the confusion to send a wave of fire at Nathaniel and his burden before stepping forward and stretching out its arms.

Green rifts form, a pair of them, spitting out more judgement and wrath. Six lesser demons, five wraiths, and three Rage fill the clearing with noise as they prepare to attack.

"Howl as you will. You will not escape the truth, and you will not take him away."

Watching the demons fall is satisfying, but he wants to get over to strike at Vengeance again. There's another horror in the way. Kain readies himself to block or dodge a counterattack, except... grr, magic is annoyingly impossible sometimes. Like now, as that stun hits him head on. It holds Kain fast in place for a time as he tries to clear his head. While that's affecting him, he hears the exchange with Vengeance... He's wrong... At least he's in a state of mind to recognize that. There's no danger of mental darkness here.

Fortunately, it's a weakened spell, so he's not stunned for too long... but any amount of time isn't good.

As always grateful for the mages' barriers, Kain feels that hitting and steadying him a little. The lesser demons are starting to weaken, but the new wave that appear seem to be even stronger. Still shaking off the effects of the stun, he launches back into the fight. This time as he spins the lance just so, he unleashes Cyclone, swirling winds moving out and toward the nearest demons.

Nathaniel cannot outmaneuver Vengeance's fireball while he is carrying Anders, but he turns his back to the demon, shielding Anders from the fire with his own body. The spell is mostly blocked by his armor, but a patch of his hair catches fire.

Fine. Vengeance can have his attention, his guilt, his anger. But he's never getting Anders again.

Anders is out of the way now, so Nathaniel gently sets him down on the ground before patting the fire out of his hair. Well. It needed to be cut anyway. He straightens and takes bow in hand, nocking another arrow and sending it toward Vengeance's throat. Maybe he can get it to shut up for the first time in eleven years.

Ice stands out from her left arm, skewering the muscle of her forearm. She flexes her hand, tries to ball it into a fist, but it feels weak - too weak to hold a bow steady. Leliana approaches, then, beating one of the demons in the face - or whatever it has that passes for a face - with her bow, once and twice before her knife is in hand.

Few know how Justinia cared for the plight of mages. Few would care to know. Leliana could have done more, but she works though the knot in her stomach as she reaches for her blade, stabbing the demon so she can try to continue her procession towards Vengeance.

The Ritual Itself

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